Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to visit J&K today

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be on a two-day visit to forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh starting today. Army Chief General M M Naravane will accompany the Defence Minister. During the visit, they will review the security situation in Eastern Ladakh.

Official sources reports that senior Defence officials including the Northern Army Commander will also  accompany Mr Singh. This will be the Defence Minister’s first visit to Ladakh since the faceoff with China commenced.

Mr Singh is likely to visit Atal Tunnel, previously



known as Rohtang Tunnel, named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This is a highway tunnel being built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. At 8.8 km length, the tunnel will be one of the longest road tunnels in the country and is expected to reduce the distance between Manali and Keylong by about 46 kilometres. Strategically important Manali-Leh highway is used by the Army to transport essential material to the soldiers deployed in the border areas of Ladakh.